From The Eyes of A Skag
by Preppygirl
Summary: RATED FOR LANGUAGE! Claire LeBeau, typical bad girl, is reintroduced to the good girl who used to be her best friend and will now wreck her life- for the better. Companion piece to Ahelplesspryo911's fic, Hands Down
1. Blast From The Past

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine. Various rights belong to Stephan King (story: The Body) and whoever did the movie Stand By Me, which is just the movie version of The Body. Heh. So it belongs to Stephan King. Mostly. Except for Claire, who I love, Jovanna, who is my friend's character and who she loves, and Mandy, Andrea, Jane and Allison, who we don't love. But you still can't have them.

Summary: This is the story of Claire LeBeau, the not-so-typical good-girl-gone-bad (whew, that's a lot of hypens) and the change the not-so-new girl has on her life when she wrecks it- for the better. Does that even make sense?

A/N: This is rated for language and a bit of kissing, but nothing descriptive.

Everyone, go read my friend's story. It's by HelplessPyro911 and it's a companion piece to this. It's called Hands Down. She's also the one who got me started writing this. So this story is dedicated to her. My bestest buddy Ever!

From the Eyes of A Skag

_Chapter 1: Blast From The Past_

By Preppygirl

Life had been goin' pretty good. At the time, Ace and I had been had been a couple again for almost a week and a half. 10 days, to be precise. I was still the undisputed leader of the little group of skags. All that was about to change because of one girl. It's amazing isn't it, that one person can have such an effect on your life- ruin it, improve it, but change it so drastically it leaves your head whirling and your old life in tatters.

I can still remember, to the last detail, when she walked back into my life...

The Cobras and "my" girls were sitting in a booth at the Blue Point Diner, the local teen hangout in Castle Rock. Looking back, everything was pretty good, up to that point. Mostly, we were happy. Sure, we groaned and moaned, but not one of us would have switched places with anyone else we knew. And what kind of teenagers would we have been if we hadn't complained? We were satisfied with the way life was going- our way.

Anyway, the twelve of us were smashed into a corner booth. All four of my girls were currently going out with a Cobra. Pretty good average. So they're all sitting on "their" boy's lap, little skags they are. Allison Look seemed like she would take Charlie Hogan's face right off any second, while Jane Rebelle and Norman Bracowicz, nicknamed "Fuzzy," were the more mild-mannered couple, simply whispering promises of what would happen "later" in each other's ears, making Jane giggle. Mandy Day was making out with Vince Desjanders, and Andrea Kay, the last member of my group, smiled innocently- which was only believable if you ignored Eyeball Chambers' hand up her blouse and his tongue in her ear. Eyeball's real name is Richard, but no one dared call him that except his family. Jack Mudgett, the only single Cobra and the most perverted boy I've ever met, was staring somewhat lewdly at Eyeball and Andrea. Billy Tessio, another Cobra, stared at a blond waitress. We all knew he was thinking about her, his current girl, a goody-two-shoes named Jezebell White, or just Bell, who we tolerated for two reasons: Billy, and the fact that of the goody-goodies, she was the least innocent- she had to be. She was dating a Cobra.

Ace Merril, the last Cobra and the boy who could sometimes, such as then, but considered my boyfriend, and I, Claire LeBeau, the leaders of our respective groups, grinned at each other, rolling our eyes. I knew what he was thinking, and it wasn't, _My friends need to get lives._ It was more along the lines of _I hope Claire and I have SEX tonight._ _SEXSEXSEXSEXSEX! _He was crude, and somewhat spoiled, but I had made him that way, so I wasn't too worried.

"Later tonight?" I muttered in his ear. He nodded, then cleared his throat. Everyone's attention snapped to him like iron to a magnet. Lips came off faces with an almost audible pop, and Eyeball's hand returned to his side with a _snap_ of Andrea's bra. No matter how busy they were, no matter what (or who) they were doing, Ace was the boss of the Cobras. In fact, he was just plain ol' boss. No challenge.

"Eyeball, we're meeting at your house tonight. Seven o'clock," I told Eyeball. He shook his head glumly.

"Sorry. No can do, boss lady. Unless we wanna stay in my room," he said glancing slyly at Andrea, who grinned naughtily. His attention then returned to me and Ace.

"My two cousins are staying with us 'til my aunt gets her screwed up life back together. Drew's nine. He's not sharing a room with me, luckily, but the little cock-sucker's always following me around," he said grumpily.

"How cute," Ace told him sarcastically. Everyone laughed, and joined in after a minute or two, making everyone laugh harder. Eyeball had the funniest laugh you'll ever hear.

"Yeah, yeah," he continued after everyone calmed down. "Then Jovanna- what a name, she's always saying, 'It's Jovie!'" he mocked in a falsetto. "Anyway, she's 16, and a little goody-two-shoes," he said with a disgusted snort, as if that was the worst thing possible. And I suppose, to us it was.

"Wait- didn't she use to come for summers, three or four years ago?" Mandy asked suddenly. We all stared at her, trying to remember if Mandy had ever said anything so smart. However, all of us were drawing a blank.

"Uhhh... Yeah, she did," Eyeball managed to stutter out.

"Is she foxy?" Jack asked with interest.

"Ehn... so-so," Vince replied, earning him a light slap from Mandy. "Saw her at the train station," he explained to the rest of us. "Eyeball dragged me along to play _chauffeur _because of my damn car. Ace was busy, wasn't he, Claire?" he asked me, snickering.

"Shut it, Vince. You know very well we were at the Point," I said, somewhat crossly. The Point was a cliff nearby that had a nice view over town, but everyone with active hormones and a car used it for... other reasons.

"Sorry boss lady," he said apologetically. "So, where'll we meet at, if Eyeball's house is outta the question?" Everyone looked hopefully at Billy. His house was the most often used, after Eyeball's. He had only one sibling, unlike the rest of us, and had his own room.

"Sorry, not my place anytime soon. Vern squealed to my dad about everything that happened with that kid's body, and I don't want to make the old man any madder, he'll just give me another hidin'."

"We could just go to the lake?" Allison suggested. Everyone considered it.

"Sounds good. Lake it is," Ace said, okaying the idea. The lake was our second favorite hang out, after the diner. We could sit and talk, smoke and make out in the surrounding woods, with no one to bother us. And we could go skinny-dipping.

"Okay. We'll meet at the gas station at six," Ace decided. Then he glanced at me. "Can you get out tonight, Claire?"

"I don't know..." I trailed off. Everyone chimed in to put in their two cents.

"C'mon Claire."

"It's no fun without you."

"My parents will let me go if you'll be there."

"Yeah, probably," I relented. "I think Adam's working tonight. Ace, swing by at about 5:30, will ya? I'll sneak a call to you if I can't make it."

Plans made, the group dissolved, splitting into different groups, going different directions. Finally, it was just Ace and me left alone in the booth. I cuddled up next to him.

"Alone at last," he sighed, and tilted my head up for a kiss, which soon turned into a full make-out session. Somewhere during this, I heard the bell over the door tinkle as someone came in. Ace and I pulled apart slowly, gasping for air. I surveyed the room as we caught our breath.

The newcomer I recognized instantly. Although we hadn't had contact for four years, I could tell it was Eyeball's cousin. The summers she and her little brother had stayed, we had been inseparable, the best of friends. We had written letters to each other during the school year. The summer before... the accident... had been her last. She was no different now then she had been back then. Her hair had gotten a little darker, and had more red in it, and she was taller, but she was still the same girl I remembered, smiling as she talked to Bell.

She took something from Bell and turned to leave. By this time, Ace was whispering in my ear, something that would make any father in town, my own included, whale on him. However, it made me smile just thinking about it. She saw us, and I knew she recognized me too. Something like disgust crossed her face and she walked out stiffly.

Jovanna Cameron had just walked back into my life.

A/N: Review! Please and thank you! And please check back, because, really, I hate this chapter (but I need it to set the scene) and I'll try to add stuff ASAP and hopefully I'll get around to modifying this. Don't bet on it, tho. J


	2. A Visit To the Lake

A/N: Hope you like this! Translations are given at the bottom.

From The Eyes of A Skag

_Chapter 2: A Visit to the Lake_  
By Preppygirl

I sat on the front porch swing, rocking back and forth. I had changed into my favorite skirt and top. Who cared if the skirt hem was a _little_ high, or that the top was a _little_ low-cut? Ace never did. The outfit had the bonuses of being blue, my best color, and Ace's favorite, which almost guaranteed results.

My brother was, indeed, working that night, so I was free to go to the lake. Ever since... the incident, my dad had kinda been in and out of the world- and mostly out. Unfortunately, my older brother, Adam, 24, had decided that that meant he had to act in my pa's place. Luckily, Remmy, our younger brother, was eight, and old enough to take care of himself for a few hours. I could only typically go out if Adam was working, as he didn't like Ace and the Cobras, or what he call my j.d. buddies.

Ace pulled up in his car, and I ran out and jumped in. I have always loved Ace's car, a black '52 Chevy with awesome stenciling, and the words, "Wild Card," across the back.

"Hey lover boy. Ready for tonight?" I asked, somewhat saucily. He eyed my shirt top.

"Oh, yeah," he replied, jazzed already. I inwardly smirked. Guys are so easy to manipulate, especially if you know what buttons to press. Ace hit the gas, and we spend down the road. I glanced at Ace, then leaned over to give him a quick kiss, just to keep him going until later. However, his head turned and it was not 'just a quick kiss,' causing the car to swerve and a trucker to shout obscenities at us. Ace replied in kind, giving him a quick grin and the finger. Shortly later, we pulled into the gas station parking lot. Most of the gang was already there.

"Where's Eyeball?" I asked, doing a quick head count.

"Oh, yeah. When I stopped by to pick him up, he said his dad was making him do some sort of fucked up family bonding thing," Vince said.

As the only other Cobra with a car, Vince often picked up the others when we were scheduled to meet. Unlike Ace, though, Vince's car was nowhere near the coolest car I'd ever seen. It was a '54 Studebaker, which was boss enough by itself, but it was the ugliest shade of pink you will ever lay eyes on. I'd always flat-out refused to be caught dead in that thing, so even when Ace and I were at odds, I rode in his Chevy. I was the boss lady. I could do things like that. I could do just about anything, in that group, and get away with it. Not necessarily the best thing for me, to prepare me for world outside Castle Rock, but back then, getting out was just a swirl of smoke in my mind.

"Race you to the lake," Ace challenged Vince as Charlie, Allison, and Andrea climbed in the back of the Chevy. Ace revved the engine.

"No fuckin' way, Ace," Vince replied, shaking his head. "You'll make me look like a fuckin' loser, cause you'll beat me so bad. And in front of my girl, too," he added, nodding his head at Mandy, who giggled.

"Aww, Vince, man. You hurt me real deep this time. Look. You got less people in your damn car then me," Ace argued. He didn't know it, but the times Ace sounded the most immature was when he was pleading- and not really meaning it. In that fake, sarcastic voice, he sounded like one of the little boys, trying to look cool in front of his friends. 'The little boys' were Eyeball's brother, Chris Chambers, Gordie LaChance, Teddy DuChamp, and Billy's brother, Vern Tessio.

We didn't really like them much. They were thirteen, and had gotten Ace and the rest of the Cobras in some trouble earlier that summer. Something to do with a body. None of the girls or I had been around then. It only happened over a couple of days. Wouldn't you know that that one week, that one not-boring week out of the who knows how many in summer vacation, was the one the girls and I had gone to spend with my uncle and aunt in Ontario.

"C'mon, Vince," Allison, Andrea and I teased. Vince looked at us, and relented.

"Fine, fine. We'll race. One, two, three. Go!" he said, hitting the petal at three. Ace, however, had gone at two, giving everyone in the Studebaker a mouthful of dust. Jane coughed.

"I'll get you-" cough, cough "Ace-" cough, cough "Merril, you-" cough, cough "total bastard!" She screamed at us, and we chuckled at waved merrily back at them.

Ace easily beat them to the lake. I think, sometimes, that if he ever got out of Castle Rock, he should have been a racecar driver. He loved racing, knowing just when to slow down for a curve, and when to accelerate. He loved that car. It was his baby, his one true love. He took care of it, waxed it, covered it in the rain, and polished it. But Ace Merril would never leave Castle Rock, never become a racecar driver.

The lake is out of town, about 5 minutes away. Nestled deep in the woods, near the Canadian/Maine border, the lake was a place teens loved. Not just American teens, either. Everyone in a while, we'd see some teens from Beaumont, the small Canadian town two miles from the border. Beaumont was also where most of us had been born. Beaumont has a midwife. Castle Rock doesn't. When a woman goes into labor, she could get to the midwife within 10 minutes, verses the 1½ hours it took to get to the nearest hospital. Most of us were, legally, Canadian citizens, as well as Americans. Dual citizenship. There's a road, between the two towns, with a guard on the border. If you have a school id, worker's id, or driver's license from one of the two towns, you can cross without any problems. Or, at least, that's the way it used to be. Back then, when they didn't worry so much about smuggling, or fake ids.

We had just gotten to the lake, and the guys had already shucked off their clothes and were jumping off a knotted rope. Honestly. Boys. Us girls were stretched out on the sandy shore. The sky was clear, and the sun was setting.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Mandy asked. Wow. Two full sentences in the one day. Pretty impressive.

"Sure is," I replied, watching Ace jump into the water. The girls giggled. I glared at them and they hurriedly began talking about what school would be like this year. Much better. Ace was mine, and they needed to remember that.

"Hey. Claire." I looked over. Ace was standing waist-deep in the water. Damn dry season wasn't dry enough, I thought angrily.

"What, Ace?" I replied, smiling. It was hard to stay mad when Ace was standing naked in front of me, and his hair was wet, and that little chunk was flopping over his forehead like that... Yes, it was hard indeed.

"Grab me a towel from the trunk," he replied.

"_N'importe quoi vous voulez,_" I returned, standing up and walking over to the Chevy. I opened up the trunk. Ace kept everything in there. There were blankets, towels, a can opener, a church key, and extra clothes- usually food and booze as well. I grabbed a towel and tossed it to Ace. It almost hit the water, but he snatched it just in time. I almost giggled at the look he gave me, but no one giggled at Ace Merril. He came out, drying himself off, and I smiled at him. His return smile told me that I was forgiven. I pulled a blanket out of the trunk and spread it out far enough away from the girls that they couldn't hear us. He scooped up his clothes and pulled them on as we sat down.

"You ready for school to start, Ace?" I asked, playing with his shirt collar.

"I suppose," he said, catching up my fingers and kissing them. Then he leaned over and kissed me.

You know, Ace isn't really so big, so bad, so tough. I'd not go so far as to say he was really just a big pussy cat at heart, but I've probably seen him as close to that description as anyone could claim. If you knew how to handle him, he was like clay in your hands- you may have to push hard, but he'll eventually go the way you want him to. And I knew how to handle him.

You know what? That night- at the lake? It's only kinda a good memory. Ace and I fought. Not like that was unusual. We were always fighting. But see, the thing is, if we hadn't fought then, I might have been, today, Mrs. Ace Merril. But Jovanna Cameron was able to insert herself into the ring at the critical time. And I thank her everyday for it. Here's how that oh-so-important fight happened...

I was standing by the lake which was rippling softly, and then a boy would jump in, shattering that perfect mirror. Ace's arm was around me. I guess I was staring a little too hard at the water, because Ace grabbed my arm.

"Stop staring at Vince!" he growled. I snapped out of my trance, startled.

"I wasn't staring at Vince," I replied, rolling my eyes. Here we go again.

"Ahh! You like him, don't you?" Ace asked crazily, looking into my eyes. "Don't you!" he said, shaking me furiously.

"No!" I protested.

"Don't lie to me Claire! I love you! You know that! I love you!" He was almost screaming. His eyes darted around wildly.

"I know, I know," I said soothingly, trying to calm him down. "I don't like Vince, baby."

"You do, you do! I know it! How could you do this to me? To Jane? How? How? Tell me! Tell me that!" he was screaming now. The other Cobras had climbed out of the lake quietly, and were now gathered around the girls, clutching towels, but not drying themselves off. They looked scared- all of them. And I could see why.

Their brave, fearless leader and friend, had gone insane, yelling at their precious boss lady who was more than that- a friend. Our arguments always consisted of the two of us yelling at each other, never just one yelling at the other. The way things were going, it must have seemed like Ace was going to hit me. He never struck me. But if he had, I'm not sure what they would have done. They followed Ace, true, but all of the boys seemed to feel the need to protect me throughout my high school years. Which was interesting, since of all the girls, I was the one who needed the least protecting. They looked almost relieved when my temper snapped.

"Yes Ace, I admit it! Vince and I are in love and I'm carrying his love child! Are you happy Ace? Are you happy now? Well you know what? You know what? I don't care! If you think I'm cheating on you, maybe I should be! I'm tired Ace, sick and tired of your attitude, your ugly boots and- well, just you in general! We're over! Through! Good luck finding yourself a new girl!" I screamed at him. I was pissed beyond belief.

"You know what? You know what, Claire LeBeau? I was tired of you anyway! You know what else? I think I'm out of a potential bad mistake! _Une erreur!_ The end of us was just a matter of time!"

"_Fermer en haut! Juste fermer en haut!_" I screamed back. We then reduced ourselves to glares and name- bad name- calling.

The drive home was quiet that night. As usual, I rode in Ace's car. I would turn the radio up, he'd turn it down. We would glare at each other. I'd switch stations, he'd switch it back. It wasn't one of our really bad arguments, but I think we all could feel a change happening on the air that made it so much worst than anything that came before.

When we pulled up, I groaned to see Adam's car already parked in the driveway. Ace glanced meanly at me.

"Good luck, bitch," he said sarcastically.

"See ya, cock-knocker," I replied, swinging out of the car. I walked inside, ready to face my brother's wrath.

A/N:  
I'm not totally sure on these translations, as I speak English and Spanish, so email me at if I'm wrong.

_N'importe quoi vous voulez _is Anything you want.  
_Une erreur!_ is An Error!

_Fermer en haut! Juste fermer en haut!_ is Shut up! Just shut up!

Review! Please? _S'il__ vous plaît? Por favor?_


	3. Back to School

A/N: As funny as this sounds, I've already got chapters 4 and 5 typed, so as soon as this goes up, they do as well. I couldn't think up a chapter title for this one, so I made it basic.

From the Eyes of A Skag

_Chapter 3: Back to School_

By Preppygirl

School started a few days later. I spent those days flirting with everyone who wasn't Ace. And I mean everyone. Even Jack. Pervert. But by the time school started, I had started going out with this senior, Dan Mettler. Plenty cute, but not a bad boy. And he wasn't a good kisser, either. The only reason I agreed to date him was Ace hated him- thought he was an arrogant little bastard. And he was, too.

I knew what they said at school about me. Quite frankly, I just didn't care. They said I was a slut, a skag, and a whole lot worse. But it was okay. And I'm not just saying that either. I had Ace. And when I didn't? I could have had any boy. Any boy I wanted. Don't think that I'm bragging, or exaggerating, because I'm not. I could. They might move away when I passed them in the halls, but their eyes followed me. If I looked one in the eyes- straight on eye contact- I could see it- the longing, the passion. Then, behind those-- the fear.

I always said I was more than aptly named. If you paraphrase a bit, Claire LeBeau means Clearly The Beautiful One. I'm not making this up. Claire LeBeau- Clearly the Beautiful. And I was.

First day of school sucked. They always do. There're the new teachers, the new kids, the one who didn't know not to challenge me. They didn't always have proper respect. I hated that. I just wanted to take a ruler and break it over their head. I did that once, actually. Third grade.

But anyway... School was... odd. Ever since Ace dropped out his junior year, it had been dead boring. This would have been my junior. But see, since Ace dropped out, I've been bored out of my skull. I've got no one to see in passing periods, or during lunch. No one to argue with, no one to ditch with. Well, sure, Billy and Fuzzy were both still in, as well as my girls. I made the girls stay in school. "You never know," I used to tell them, "when you might be in between guys, and still have to live." But I have to say, I wonder sometimes, if high school ever helped someone like Mandy. But even having them there with me wasn't the same as having Ace.

But even without him, the day was still odd. I had four classes with Jovanna Cameron and one other goody-two-shoes she was hanging out with those days. I never bothered to learn their names. They just weren't important to me. By the end of the day, I was about ready to scream. Dan had been unusually thick headed that day and I felt like the next person to approach me was going to get their head pulled off.

I had a free period last, so I headed to the track.

I've always loved running. I've got really long legs, and can run pretty fast. It's just so peaceful- heart beating, arms pumping, sneakers hitting the ground- ba-bom-ba-bom-ba-bom. Nothing but you and the wind on your face and hair. Take deep breaths- in for two short one, out with a longer one.

However, I hadn't run all summer. I usually didn't. Not because it was too hot or anything, since we live in Maine. It's just that then, I only ran at the Castle Rock High's track. It's nothing fabulous- in fact, Mary Anne, the track coach, had been arguing with the school board for years. I wasn't on the track team, or the cross country team, which were usually the same people anyway. Mary Anne tried to convince me ever since she first saw me run. But come on, me, Claire LeBeau, do a team sport? I refused. But as a student of CRHS, I had the right to use the track.

It was just dirt. It wasn't even packed very hard, or very smoothly. It was a bit bumpy, and other schools refused to have meets there, after 3 people sprained their ankles on it. Wimps. CRHS has a nice track now, named after me, which is ironic, as I wouldn't have run on it anyway.

But I loved that old track. It was nice, running in grooves left by countless other people before me. I loved it best right after it rained. It was muddy then, and when you ran, you kicked mud up on your calves. Then, when you run, it wasn't ba-bom-ba-bom-ba-bom, but whuh-whump-whuh-whump-whuh-whump-whuh-whump. Or you could wait a bit, so that the ground had started to dry, and you would leave footprints that lasted until the next time it rained. But until it rained the next time, you had your stride already perfectly marked into the track. Mary Anne used to hate it when I did that. She tried to scold me once. It ended with her saying "If you join the team, Claire, you can do that whenever you want." I sort of looked at her, and replied "I do it anytime I want anyway, don't I?" then I turned and left the locker rooms, leaving her gaping like a fish, triumphant at having avoided Mary Anne's offer once more.

That afternoon I'm talking about, though, things didn't go exactly as planned. I had started running. Only did about a lap when Jovanna Cameron showed up. How could I have forgotten? She liken to run as much as I did, and probably had gym now.

When we were younger, 'JC' and I had been running buddies, running early every morning, having races down Main. Sometimes I won, sometimes she did. And I would bet every penny I had that she would want to race. And knowing her as I did, the girl who used to be JC, my best friend, had, to all guesses, ran that summer, staying in shape, in running shape, while I, banned from my running haunt, had sat around with the Cobras. She was going to beat me, and I couldn't take it. I slowed down, and started heading for my bag, hoping to slip by without notice.

I slowed down more. Wait just one minute, I told myself firmly. I couldn't just let this chance go by. It was cowardly, passing up on a race just because I was going to loose. I was- am- not a coward. Back then, I couldn't afford to be a coward. I had to be strong. I grabbed my water bottle and drank quickly. Then I steeled my nerves and approached Jovanna Cameron. Bell and she were stretching, talking happily.

"So you're back." This was the first conversation we'd had since she had returned to Castle Rock, and my first real, up close look at the new Jovanna Cameron. "Wonder if you can still run as fast as you use to." I pondered, pulling my hair into a ponytail.

"Maybe," she replied, standing up. I was carefully inspecting her. She was still in shape.

"Bet I could beat you," I challenged. Jovanna Cameron never could refuse a dare like that. But I was lying through my teeth. I couldn't beat her.

"You're on."

"One lap around the track. First to cross the finish line wins," I declared, a small smirk crossing my features.

As we stood behind the line, I happened to look up at the bleachers. Ace and Eyeball were up there. Damn. I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the race.

She had stretched, but hadn't run, so one point to me. I wouldn't have to find my stride, as I had made my 'marks' in the track the previous spring, so another point to me. She was in shape though, and I wasn't, so two points to her. 2-2. The race would be close.

"GO!" Bell yelled. I broke into my sprint. Short races were my favorite kind. I quickly gained a lead, but as we headed around the last corner, she came even with my, and by the time we crossed the finish line, she was just barely ahead of me. Just enough to win.

I hurried to my bag, hearing faintly behind me, "Walk it off." I took a drink of water. My head was pounding and my throat dry. It felt like I was going to fait. This didn't normally happen. I drained the rest of the water and chucked the water into my bag. Hurrying into the locker room, I went to the back and climbed the stars the hide behind the last row of lockers. At the top was a door, with an open padlock loosely hung on it. At first glance, the door was locked, but we had opened the lock before and were able to get through.

It led to the old gym. About 10 years before, the school had built a new gym. Instead of tearing down the old one, they left it locked. But they forgot about the stairs, and students curiosity about anything locked up. There was a set of stairs in both locker rooms. The other way in, which is still locked, led to the rest of the school. I had found this place my freshman year, thanks to a informed hint from my brother Adam.

I climbed to the top of the wooden bleachers and sat there a long time, thinking about this new JC- no, not JC, Jovanna Cameron- and how I didn't know this new Jovanna Cameron. No, I didn't know her. Not at all.

Then I picked up my bag and headed to Blue Point Diner.

A/N: DONE! REVIEW!


	4. Heart to Heart

A/N: Here you go!

From the Eyes of a Skag

_Chapter 4: Heart-to-Heart_

By Preppygirl

One week passed, and then another. Soon, it was almost Christmas. By this time, I had dumped Dan Mettler. Jovanna Cameron and I had had a fight. Unsurprisingly, I started it. Also unsurprisingly, it was about Ace. Everything was always about Ace.

I won't go into details about the fight. I was pretty harsh. I said some things that, if I had had a conscience, I would have regretted. I regret them now. It suffices to say I won, quite solidly. But it hurt.

I knew Jovanna Cameron and Ace fooled around sometimes. I saw them together, heard rumors in the hall. It hurt more than I let anyone else suspect. I pretended not to care. I tried so hard to convince everyone else that I didn't care, I almost convinced myself. Almost. That hurt too.

But what hurt more, what hurt the most was when Ace and I got together. We were never an official couple again, then or ever, but we were forced into contact. Our social circles overlapped too much to avoid each other. We weren't in love, and didn't even really like each other, I can see now. It was much more a pure animal attraction, nothing more than physical lust. So we hooked up. Then I would wake up in his car, the next morning and look at him, sleeping.

Asleep was the only time Ace seemed-- normal, not horribly hard, scarred against the world. He was so- soft, so sweet looking, making me just want to hold him, hold him like you would a baby, not the way you would hold a lover. Then it hurt. Right where my heart was, right in the very center of my body, it ached. Terribly, constantly, mercilessly.

Then he would turn over, blink. And look at me, alertly. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Well, I have never seem, before or since, such a haunting view. And yes, haunted as well as haunting, gruesome as well as captivating. You could see the world, but it was not a world anyone would choose to live in. It was the darkness of the world, hidden in the shadows of alleyways and burned-out lightposts. The part of the world that happens behind closed doors and drawn window shades. The world we lived in.

Then he would smile, lazily, and it was not so bad. We would straighten up, smooth our hair and clothes, and he would drive to Blue Point Diner, where we would eat breakfast. He would drop me off at school, and leave for who knows what, for things I did not want to know about.

The follow-up was bad for the simple reason there was none. I would walk home alone. Ace would not pull up along side me, as he used to do, wink, and say, "Need a ride, babe?" I would not jump into that beautiful Chevy, and I would go home. Used to be, I didn't get home until later, after meeting the gang for shakes or burgers. But I could not stand to face them, knowing Ace might be there, or might not be. I'm not sure which would have been worse: Ace ignoring me in all but the platonic way, or Ace not being there, knowing he was with Jovanna Cameron instead.

Later that week, I had a real, somewhat civil conversation with Jovanna Cameron. No, I don't know why it happened. She started it.

I was sitting at the corner of Lost and Pond. Lost Lane is where I lived. There are six houses, all next to each other, no neighbors across the street, all getting farther and farther away from town. I lived in the second house from the corner. Pond was the street Jovanna Cameron had lived on. Her mother, no longer Mrs. Cameron, was expecting another kid, and had moved back to Castle Rock, supposedly to be closer to her family. She had chosen a small house also on Pond. This corner was where we used to meet, back when Jovanna Cameron was JC, and before... everything happened.

So I was sitting at this corner, and Jovanna Cameron walks up. I don't know why she decided to walk down to Lost Lane. Maybe she was feeling nostalgic, I just know that she did.

"Err... Hello, Claire," she said, looking at me. She seemed... nervous.

"Screw off," I told her in the tone one might use to day 'isn't the weather delightful and would you like another Chocolate chip cookie?' I smiled cheerfully at her, which faded as quickly as it took for her to sit down next to me.

"Claire..." She trailed off.

"Are you deaf, or just stupid?" I asked her scathingly. "I already told you to get the hell away from me. Why aren't you listening?"

"Because I know you don't mean it," she said simply. That threw me for a spin. I blinked a few times before recovering.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I said harshly.

"I know- no, I knew you. I knew you well, better than I knew anyone else. A person doesn't truly change so much, so suddenly. I asked the boys. They say this change happened in the year or so after I left. You didn't change overnight. Either you're faking it, or you were always this way. And I know that's not true."

I couldn't believe this. It was amazing to me that after all these years of... pretending that someone had figured it out in so little time.

"Like you care," I spat at her. She looked taken aback.

"I do care, Claire. I've always cared. It was so different when I came back. You've changed. Your _Mère_ is gone. Your Pa's a recluse. I cared then, and I care now." I laughed bitterly.

"Excuse my French, but _foutaise_. Bullshit. People who care hand around. Bit of a fair weather friend, aren't you?" I asked.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You've already touched on the subject. You know what I'm talking about. Didn't your little boy toys tell you what else happened in my life after you left?" A wave of confusion passed over her face, followed by understanding.

"_Mère_?" she asked tenderly. I waved it off. As cliché as it sounds, I didn't need or want her pity.

"_Oui_. She died after you went home. In the lake. And you didn't come. Where were you when I needed you? In the goddamn city." I looked away, biting my lip to keep from crying. Tears were already threatening to spill down my cheeks, but I couldn't let them. I blinked furiously, staring at the white trees ahead of us.

"Claire, I was twelve years old! _Douze__ années vieilles_! There was nothing I could have done! Nothing! Nada, zip, zero!" Alright, she was crying now.

"You should have come, as I would have come for you!" I screamed into the open air.

"Maybe, JC, you don't understand. I needed you. I needed you then. I needed you the next summer. You could have come then. But you didn't come, and you didn't come. I gave up all hope. I attached myself to the Cobras. You ask what made me this way, what started this downward spiral, this descent into _el Enfer_. Well, it was you. You, and the fact that Hell was warm. It felt good, welcoming. And by the time I realized it was going to burn me, I was too far in. I couldn't pull myself out. But when I was starting down that slope, you could have reached down and pulled me out. But you turned away." A tear leaked down my face.

"So it's my fault, is it? I wrote to you, I wanted to come, come to find you, find out what happened. But I couldn't. I had my own life to deal with. I was twelve years old! It's not like I could have hot-wired a car and driven up here." She paused, and a memory, unbidden, pushed its way to the top of my brain.

_The summer I turned eleven. Adam, my darling older brother, teaching me and JC how to hot-wire a car, using his beaten-up pick-up as an example for us to learn on. Then, Adam teaching us to drive it. Old Mister MacAddam yelling at us for driving in his cornfield. Straining to reach the petals, my two favorite people by my side, JC running along aside us, Adam carefully monitoring my feet and hands._

JC looked like she was seeing it too.

"Okay, well, I could have. But think logically Claire. You were expecting the impossible," she explained. I stood up.

"Nothing is impossible." Then I turned and walked away. She let me- she didn't call out to me, didn't run after me. When I was almost to my house, I looked back. She was still sitting there, unmoving. The same wind blowing in my face was making her clothes flap soundlessly, in this muffled white wonderland.

"GOOD-BYE JOVANNA CAMERON!" I yelled as loudly as I dared. The wind flew up against me, so, to this day, I'm not sure if she heard me.

"Good-bye," I whispered to myself. "Good-bye."

A/N: Correct me if I'm wrong, (see chapter 2 for contacting info) but here are the translations I have:  
_mère_- mother

_foutaise_- bull shit

_Oui_- yes, obviously!

_Douze__ années vieilles_- Twelve years old

_Enfer_- Hell

Step one: Hit the purplish-blue button

Step two: Review


	5. Going, going

A/N: Short, I know, but important... The song at the end is by Rodney Foster

From the Eyes of A Skag  
_Chapter 5: Going, Going..._

By Preppygirl

I won't say that after this heart-to-heart Jovanna Cameron and I were best buds again. We weren't. Things continued as what construed as normal for us- arguments, glares, fights, the like- for the next four days. Then it was Christmas break.

Christmas is such a magical time. Up in Maine, the whole world gets this glistening cover. It sparkles. Your eyes hurt if you look at it for too long. It is clean, beautiful, and innocent. But you only have to touch it with your bare hands to feel the danger. The coldness. It can kill. It has, and it will again. Then there are the yellow patches of ice. You step carefully, try not to slip. If you do, you go down fast, hard. There is no stopping your fall. It hurts, but you laugh it off. Not a problem, eh? But you know you will wake up the next morning, and your whole body will smart. And you smile.

I smiled at Ace.

"Ace, hon, come with me." I threaded my arm through his and slowly pulled him into the back room of the Billiard Hall. Jack's father, Louis Mudgett, owned it. Technically, teens weren't allowed in, but just mentioning Jack's name would get you in. Everyone in Castle Rock knew that.

I shut the door, locked it, and pointed at the two chairs. "Sit." I did. Ace, foolish boy that he was, did not.

"Claire, babe. What's this?" Ace cocked an eyebrow. "Alone, in a locked room?" He approached me, and wrapped his arms around me. I shoved at his chest. He stumbled back, an arrogant smirk adorning his features.

"Ace. I Said Sit. Now Sit." Surprisingly enough, he listened and sat, still giving me that arrogant grin.

"Ace, this isn't working."

"What's not?"

"We're not. I can't stand it anymore," I told him, steeling him with my eye, daring him to deny it. He was clearly confused, but took up the bait.

"Claire. What the hell are you talking about." This was not a question- more of a comment, disbelieving.

"It's not working out. You make out- and, knowing you, probably a whole lot more- with Jovanna Cameron one night. The next, you're next to me, definitely doing more than making out... Professing your ever undying love to both of us. Well, I'm just letting you know. I'm giving up. That little whore can have you. I don't care anymore- I can't. I'm leaving. Permanently." I paused for breath and Ace jumped in.

"You can't leave me, Claire."

"_Vous petit garçon stupide_!" I cried. "You think everything's about you, don't you Ace?" I asked, laughing bitterly.

"But Claire- but I think I love you! Really!" he insisted, catching my somewhat skeptical look.

"You THINK you love me? Aww, Ace, what a sweet declaration of love. But you know what? You're a fucking liar. How can you possibly think I'd believe you? Because I always have before? I bet if you had your choice, you'd end up marrying one of us and fucking the other on the side. You might be okay with that, but I'm not, and I can tell you, Jovanna Cameron won't be okay with it either. _Bonne chance_. You'll need it." I stood up, but when I reached the door, Ace said something I didn't hear. I spun around.

"What did you say?"

"I said... you'd be wrong about my choice." This sounded sort of pitiful and I smiled sadly at Ace. But I had to leave.

"Thanks Ace." I rested one hand on the doorknob.

"For what?"

"Giving me the best time of my life. Thanks." I turned and left, brushing past Jovanna Cameron as I left. I stopped and gave her a long look. She could comfort Ace Merrill just fine.

I brushed the suspicious wetness out of my eyes as I stepped outside. Slowly I walked home, wrapping my thick winter jacket around me, thankful for it's tight embrace

_You say this ain't over yet.  
I've said things that I'll regret.  
It won't be easy to forget;  
Scars take time to heal.  
Before another bitter word gets loose,  
I was hoping we could call a truce._

'Cause nobody wins, we both lose;  
Hearts get broken and love gets bruised.  
When we light that same old fuse again and again.  
Nobody wins, slamming doors,  
We've both lost this fight before.  
And I won't play this game no more, 'cause nobody wins.

Darlin' we got too much pride.  
It don't matter who's wrong or right.  
Honey, love ain't black and white;  
The way I feel about you.  
All I wanna do is hold you tight,  
I can't take another angry night.

When nobody wins, we both lose;  
Hearts get broken and love gets bruised.  
When we light that same old fuse again and again.  
Nobody wins, slamming doors,  
We've both lost this fight before.  
And I won't play this game no more, 'cause nobody wins.

I know something's bound to break if we don't bend.  
Baby, what's it gonna take

Nobody wins, we both lose;  
Hearts get broken and love gets bruised.  
When we light that same old fuse again and again.  
Nobody wins, slamming doors,  
We've both lost this fight before.  
And I won't play this game no more, 'cause nobody wins.

Nobody wins.

_Nobody wins. (Nobody wins.)_

A/N: Only a couple more chapters, and this baby is done! Don't hate Jovie, please, or Claire or Ace for that matter.  
Translations:  
As always, feel free to correct me.

_Vous petit garçon stupide_- You stupid little boy  
_Bonne chance_- Good luck


	6. Gone

A/N: Technically, this is the last chapter. Sobs Although, there will be an epilogue, coming soon. Read & Review as always! I will probably go back after this is done and redo some chapters.

From the Eyes of A Skag

_Chapter 6: Gone_

By Preppygirl

I entered my kitchen, banging the screen door and slamming the wooden one behind me. I spied a note on the table and grabbed it. I read Adam's writing quickly.

_Claire-bear,_

_I took Remmy over to Carla's. We'll be back in a bit, unless it starts to snow. If Pa asks, let him know. I told him already, but I'm not sure he heard me._

_Je t'aime._

_Adam_

I smiled, both at Adam's girly handwriting and the fact that everything was falling into place.

I walked past the door to our living room. Pa sat there, in his easy chair, head cocked towards the radio. His left hand rested on the dial, his right held a beer. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He didn't move, didn't even flinch.

"I love you, Pa. _Je t'aime_." Still no response. I turned on my heel and marched up the stairs.

I went into my bedroom and reached under my bed. I pulled out a battered suitcase. Placing it on my bed, I carefully folded my clothes and packed as much as the old suitcase would hold. I placed it by my door and walked into Pa's room. His most recent pay envelope lay on the dresser. There wasn't much inside, but it would help. I didn't feel guilty, taking it. There was plenty stored in the back, I had made sure of that. I also picked up a United States map laying in the top drawer.

Then I went to Adam's room. This was my main plan. I opened his sock drawer and hit the secret button. A trap door sprung and a drawer, stuffed full of money, shot open. I took it all. I counted it. Including Pa's pay, there was almost $800. Adam had been saving up since he was 12 years old and first started working at Al's Garage.

I put the money in a leather wallet. Grabbing my suitcase, I left the house I had grown up in. I would never see it again. I didn't look back. I started walking to the highway. When I heard a car coming, I stuck out my thumb. A large Semi pulled up.

"Need a ride, missy?" the trucker yelled. I opened the door and climbed inside.

"That's why my thumb was out." I pulled off my gloves.

"I reckon'd that'd be why. Where're ya headin' ta?"

"As close to New York City as you'll take me."

"New Yark? I'm headin' thar meself. It'll be t'morrow afore we git thar, ya know."

"Sure. I knew that." I didn't. All I knew was New York was where I was heading- for one reason.

"So, watcha gonna do in New Yark?"

"Catch a bus to California."

"California, huh? After New Yark, I'm heading back ta Ohio. Ya want a ride that far wit me? Cheaper'n a bus, an' quicker too. I don't stop, 'cept to eat an' sleep. Not in any small town, neither."

"Sure, thanks. Oh, hey, _monsieur_? What's your name? I'm Claire LeBeau."

"Sandy. Sandy Summers. So, Miz Claire LeBeau. Ya hongery? Thar's some jerky in the glove compartment."

I rode with Sandy to New York- or New Yark, as he called it. We stopped once at a trucker's stop for hamburgers and 3 hours of sleep. The hamburgers were big, and loaded with every condiment known to beef patties. When we finally got to New York, we stayed there all day.

I hated it. It was loud and noisy and the buildings were too tall. It's kinda ironic, me hating New York, because of where I'm living now.

Then we left for Ohio. It was boring, plain and dull. Exactly like Castle Pock. I could never live in Ohio. Sandy dropped me off at the Greyhound station in Columbia. I waved until, honking, the semi disappeared over a hill. Then I approached the ticket counter.

"Hello. Can I help you?" The girl behind the counter asked. She was reading a magazine and snapping her gum.

"Yeah. How much is it to California?"

"California? What are you going there for?" I felt like yelling it was none of her business. I hated bimbos like this, which was interesting, because they were the type of girl I surrounded myself with at home: Andrea, Mandy, Jane and Allison.

"Ya want a ticket to Los Angeles-" Los Angel-eez is what she said "Sacra-men-to or San Di-a-go?"

"The first one," I replied, my head whirling. I had never heard of any of them before, at least not the way she pronounced it.

"Los Angel-eez?"

"_Oui_."

"We?" I could almost hear her spelling it wrong and I winced. I had forgotten, no one in the Midwest spoke French. Back in Castle Rock, everyone took it, Kindergarten through 8th grade. You had to. But I wasn't in Castle Rock anymore.

"I mean, yeah. Los Angel-eez. That's where I want to go." When she named the price, I was a bit amazed, but bought myself a one way ticket to Los Angeles. I was on my way.

A/N: DONE! This story is done, except for the epilogue, which I might have up later today. Maybe. If you're lucky.

French: (corrections are welcome, as always)

_Je t'aime_ I love you

_Oui_ Yes


	7. Epilogue

A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read this all the way through. Please leave me a comment. It would be much appreciated, especially since this is one of the first stories I've taken all the way to the finish. Yay for me!

From the Eyes of A Skag

_Epilogue_

By Preppygirl

I never went back to Castle Rock. I stayed right here in Los Angeles, finished up my junior and senior years, went to college. I've called Adam twice since I left. I've sent back every penny I took from him, and more. He's got my address, and a private phone number.

I took up acting. It's served me well. I think it was a bit of destiny, me becoming an actress. You don't survive with a gang that ruled the town like the Cobras and not learn to make your face show exactly what you don't mean. And it's more than just your face. You have to make your eyes show the same. Otherwise, the rest of the group will notice it- and chew you up and spit you out. My name is fairly well-known in Hollywood. No, not Claire LeBeau. Marion Vans. I'm pretty, talented, and the people love me. (I'm modest, too!) So I get hired constantly. I'm in the news, what with my movies, and the fact I just got engaged to my agent. Jeff's a wonderful man and I love him.

Jeff knows only a little about my early life. That I was in a gang, that I ran away from the small-town life, that I still have a brother or two back home, that's most of what he knows. Maybe you're asking why, why I'm bringing up stuff from this bittersweet time of my life, why I'm putting this into the hands of the public. I have three reasons. Alright, one and a half reasons, and one and a half incidents.

1. I love Jeff. He's the love of my life. True love- it's unexplainable. If you've found your true love, you know no words can truly describe it. If you haven't, all the descriptions seem overdone and exaggerated. The difference between what Ace and I had and what Jeff and I have- I could imagine life without Ace.

2. Jovanna Cameron is married, has a baby, and is writing her story. She got the hell out of Castle Rock, same as me, but not nearly as far as I did. She's living in the southern part of Maine, and is married to a Castle Rock kid, Gordie LaChance. I was invited to their wedding, but didn't go. It was too soon, and it was two Castle Rock natives getting married. The whole town would be there. I wrote a nice letter, explaining why I didn't come. She invited me to Baby Kyle's baptism. I didn't go to that either, but I called and gave Gordie my number, as Jovanna (no longer Cameron) wasn't home. This may not seem like a good reason to you, but that's why it's half a reason and half a incident. No matter where I was in my life, I always had to compete with her. If she was writing her story, I was writing mine. Seeing her raise this family, even from the opposite coast, was the incident. What kind of wife, and in the future, what kind of mother would I be if I had this huge secret I was unwilling to share?

3. This incident made me realize I needed to get this off my chest to the world. A little kid, must have been about 8 or 9 years old, one of my fans, came up to me the other day. He reminded me of Remmy, the last time I had seen Remmy as a kid. Remmy was now out on his own, trying to become a songwriter in Nashville. But this little kid came up to me and asked me what was on my arm. I looked down, and saw my Cobras' initiation tattoo. It shocked me. I had forgotten about it, tried to forget about that time, so long ago, when I had been the only female Cobra. And loved it.

I sat at the typewriter, amazed. I was finally done with this- no, not story- autobiography. Jeff came in and rubbed my shoulders, kissing me on the top of my head.

"Done, baby?" he whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. I nodded and, spinning around in my swivel chair, kissed him on the cheek.

"Done."

"And you've only been on the typewriter all day," he teased. I am a very slow typer. I stood up.

"Aww, shove it, Jeff. Please," I said, hugging him tightly. "You know I love you, don't you, love?" I asked, nuzzling his shoulder. I had managed to fall in love with a man just taller than me, which was wonderful.

"Mmm-hmm. When can I read this?" he asked, waving a hand at the piles of paper I had accumulated. I shuffled through them and handed them to him.

"Whenever you want." As he settled into his easy chair in the home we owned, my private line rang.

"_Bonjour!_" I called as I picked up. "Claire LeBeau, or Marion Vans speaking." I admit, I was in a good mood. what happened next made that mood drop like a stone.

"Claire. It's Jovanna. It's about Castle Rock. And Ace."

A/N: It's DONE DONE DONE! I can't believe it. Okay, yes, that is a bit of a cliffy, but when AHelpless-Pyro finishes Hands Down, you'll get more, or, if you can't wait that long, read Stephan King's sorta sequel to The Body. That's an excellent short story, what the movie is based on, actually, and the sequel's called Needful Things. But if you don't want to do either of those, basically, Ace just killed like, twenty people or something. I don't really remember. It's only a sorta sequel to The Body because it's more of a sequel in the story of Castle Rock. The marvelous Stephan King has written about 6 or 7 stories that take place in Castle Rock.

_Bonjour-_ Hello


End file.
